Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 262-279).

In this study a phenomenographic theoretical perspective is taken as departure for research on manifested critical thinking in civics among Swedish ninth-grade compulsory school students. According to the phenomenographic perspective students’ manifestations of critical thinking are linked to the way of experiencing the phenomena inducing a manifestation of critical thinking. Thus differences between students’ manifestations of critical thinking are linked to differences in the way of experiencing the phenomena inducing a manifestation of critical thinking. The empirical investigation in this study revolves around how 19 ninth-grade students experience four different tasks designed to induce manifestations of critical thinking. In broad terms the main aim of the study is to describe the students’ different ways of experiencing each specific task and furthermore, to link each specific way of experiencing a specific task to a specific type of manifested critical thinking in relation to that task. A more overarching aim is to offer and test the phenomenographic theoretical perspective as a way of conducting research on manifested critical thinking. The empirical results show how the way of experiencing a specific task plays a decisive roll for the type of manifested critical thinking, made possible in relation to the specific task. A more complex way of experiencing the task can be linked to a more complex manifestation of critical thinking in relation to the task. A less complex way of experiencing the task can be linked to a less complex manifestation of critical thinking in relation to the task. The study also suggests how these empirical results can be used in a pedagogical situation in order to enhance students manifested critical thinking in civics. Concerning the more overarching aim the study strongly points to a further use of the phenomenographic perspective when conducting research on students manifested critical thinking.

This dissertation explores written and oral feedback in different contexts. The study is based on interviews with five Swedish teachers in Civics and on observations of their way of giving feedback in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers’ comments on the students’ written tasks were examined. Feedback from the teacher to the student has been classified into the categories: Focus on task, Focus on grade, Focus on learning process and Focus on self-regulation. According to previous research feedback with focus on process and self-regulation is the most powerful tool for enhancing learning. The result shows that the feedback which was given on written tests and written tasks was not favourable for enhancing learning. Feedback in a written log and during work in class was more effective. In the context where teacher gave oral feedback when giving back the written texts both grades and learning process appeared to be in focus. Activity theory has influenced the analysis of variation in feedback and of obstacles and possibilities for developing formative feedback. In order to explain the variation I discuss the form of the task, the nature of the subject and the fact that feedback is given in both a formative and a summative discourse. In the formative discourse, where the teacher acts as a promoter, I find good possibilities for developing formative feedback. Open tasks, feedback towards abilities and a direct relation between the student and the subject matter appeared in this discourse. A summative discourse, where examination and grades characterized the feedback, has been interpreted as an obstacle for development of a more formative practice. In that discourse the teacher acts as a mediator between the student and the subject matter.

The thesis titled Transformations of view on the teaching of social sciences from 1989 (in selected specialized journals) discusses the history and development of social science disciplines. The thesis is divided into two parts theoretical and practical. The theoretical part describes brief development of the Czech education from the perspective of teaching social sciences from 1774 to 2014. This section is divided into two parts the first shows the development of education from 1774 to 1989; the second section is dedicated to the development of teaching civic education after 1989. Diploma thesis reflects significant milestones in the historical development and transformation of civic education. The practical part is focused on the analysis of the view of the teaching of social sciences since 1989 and the capture of various effords, trends and changes reflected in specialized journals. In this thesis was used the method of analysis and comparison of theoretical expertise and popular educational texts. The most recent and most frequent topics of social sciences, which were discussed in specialized journals, were ethical education, media education, sex education and multicultural education. The thesis shows both opinions of experts and educators and the views of students and their parents.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Thomas Vontz / This qualitative study explored middle school students’ conceptions of citizenship through the use of civic images. Citizenship education as the primary purpose for social studies education is firmly established; however, citizenship is an abstract concept. The definition and characteristics of citizenship, as well as research concerning the decline or evolution of civic behaviors, is inconclusive and oscillating. Recently adopted national and state social studies standards focus on inquiry and literacy skills, emphasizing the use of primary sources; namely historical documents. These texts are often insufficient curriculum drivers and generate a need to find alternative primary sources that scaffold and support students’ understanding. Images speak a familiar language and have been found to support student learning of history. This study fills a gap in the research regarding the use of images to teach citizenship, the purpose of social studies. Using a case study approach to research, multiple methods of data converged to address the research question, how do suburban middle school students understand citizenship through civic images? Twenty-seven eighth-graders enrolled in two Guided Study courses served as the research participants. The researcher spent two weeks at the start of the study, observing the students in their educational environment. Following the observations, for approximately eight weeks, students viewed a civic image and responded to a series of questions adapted from the Stanford History Education Group’s Historical Thinking Skills Chart (2006). At the conclusion of the eight weeks, the researcher conducted focus group interviews with each class and individual interviews with eight randomly selected students and the participating teacher. The results of this study support the use of images as instructional resources to teach abstract concepts, particularly citizenship, as well as support the use of images as primary sources to teach inquiry and literacy skills. The civic images deepened student understanding of civic and historical concepts and, more importantly, they informed students’ definitions of citizenship. Equality and community were revealed by the data as defining characteristics of citizenship for the students involved in this study, supporting previous research that members of younger generations are redefining what it means to be a good citizen.

The diploma thesis has a theoretically-empirical character with a focus on the empirical part. The starting point for the solution is the requirement of the primary teacher competence to work with the differentiated group of pupils, take into account different educational needs in the planning, implementation and reflection of teaching. The aim is to determine whether and how teachers fulfill the requirement of primary school in natural science lessons. Describe and evaluate the implementation of this requirement during the realization of specific thematic unit by several teachers. Methods of the content analysis, interviews and direct observation of teaching are used to fulfill the targets of the thesis. Keywords Individualization, differentiation, Social studies and Science, primary school teacher, instruction planning Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) typically learn less history content than their peers without disabilities and show fewer learning gains. Even when they are provided with the same instructional strategies, many students with SLD struggle to grasp complex historical concepts and content area vocabulary. Many strategies involving technology have been used in the past to enhance learning for students with SLD in history classrooms. However, very few studies have explored the effectiveness of emerging mobile technology in K-12 history classrooms. This study investigated the effects of mobile devices (iPads) as an active student response (ASR) system on the acquisition of U.S. history content of middle school students with SLD. An alternating treatments single subject design was used to compare the effects of two interventions. There were two conditions and a series of pretest probesin this study. The conditions were: (a) direct instruction and studying from handwritten notes using the interactive notebook strategy and (b) direct instruction and studying using the Quizlet App on the iPad. There were three dependent variables in this study: (a) percent correct on tests, (b) rate of correct responses per minute, and (c) rate of errors per minute. A comparative analysis suggested that both interventions (studying from interactive notes and studying using Quizlet on the iPad) had varying degrees of effectiveness in increasing the learning gains of students with SLD. In most cases, both interventions were equally effective. During both interventions, all of the participants increased their percentage correct and increased their rate of correct responses. Most of the participants decreased their rate of errors. The results of this study suggest that teachers of students with SLD should consider a post lesson review in the form of mobile devices as an ASR system or studying from handwritten notes paired with existing evidence-based practices to facilitate students’ knowledge in U.S. history. Future research should focus on the use of other interactive applications on various mobile operating platforms, on other social studies subjects, and should explore various testing formats such as oral question-answer and multiple choice.

In this thesis, a study was made of four teachers’ perception and application of an intercultural perspective in their teaching practice. The purpose was to investigate how the teachers describe to use an intercultural approach in teaching situations and how they achieve it in social studies. The study aimed to answer the questions below: - How do the teachers perceive the concepts of multicultural, multicultural education and intercultural approach and what do they assume is the purpose of an intercultural approach? - How do the teachers adapt teaching from an intercultural perspective? * - Which advantages and difficulties/hindrance do the teachers consider occur in the enabling of an intercultural approach? - In which way do the teachers make an intercultural approach possible in their teaching practice in social studies? The methods used to answer these questions where qualitative one-on-one interviews and observations of the teachers during class in social studies. The theories used to analyse the material was based on theories on different intercultural approaches and strategies in teaching and the frame factor theory. As a conclusion, this study finds that the teachers in the study are aware of the possibilities and benefits of an intercultural approach. Furthermore, the results show that the way the intercultural approach is utilized in the teaching practice differs from teacher to teacher and that the teachers focus on similar and different aspect of the intercultural approach. However, this study also shows that they teachers feel various difficulties working with an intercultural approach such as the schools’ resources and teaching in different matters and contexts. Which is consistent with previous research?

The post-conflict nature of the Kosovo society and economy led to an urgent need to address educational policy, specifically to raise the quality of the reconstituted formal schooling system. To address this priority major foreign aid and government subsidies were targeted at both the demand (students) and supply (school) side. One of the major contributors, the World Bank, aimed to improve the supply side by allocating development grants to schools in order to improve student performance. In this thesis the following four research questions are addressed: how appropriate are current evaluation strategies of education policy initiatives in developing countries, what has been the impact of school development grants on student dropout, attendance and student attainment, what are determinants of pupil dropout, attendance and attainment and what are the implications of the answers to the above questions for the reform of education policies in developing economies and the evaluation of policy initiatives. This is the first study that critically reviews previous attempts at evaluating educational initiatives in Kosovo and then employs econometric methods to measure the impact of school development grants on educational outcomes. A quasi experimental approach is utilised and comparisons made between schools with treatment and schools without treatment. A similar study for Cambodia serves as a reference for our research, though we have extensively refined the approach taken in that study. The empirical evidence presented in this thesis suggests at best only a marginal positive impact of these policy initiatives on educational outcomes. More specifically there is some evidence of reduced dropout but no effect is found on student attendance and attainment. These findings are consistent with the results of recent reviews of the literature on this type of policy initiative. This study seeks to act as an example of best practice which can be followed in future evaluations of policy initiatives in countries like Kosovo. It draws important conclusions about the need at the policy design stage to formulate appropriate evaluation strategy and to address related issues about data quality, collection and analysis.

This critical participatory ethnographic study examines the negotiation of civic identity by urban Indigenous students in public high school social studies classes, a Native youth council, and the civic environment of a school in Washington State, where the Since Time Immemorial curriculum is mandated in social studies classes. Using Safety Zone and Tribal Critical Race theories to understand the experiences of students, stories from observations, participant interviews, and focus groups are employed as data. This study found that connections between students’ land/s and Nation/s, participation in service and activism with other Nation/s, a caring teacher, family civic connections, curricula that centers American Indian history and current events, and school were vital to these negotiations. These spaces were zones of sovereignty (Lomawaima & McCarty, 2014) forwarding survivance and self-determination for students. Student understanding of the Indigenous civic constructs of sovereignty, self-determination, dual citizenship and an understanding of federal Indian policy are explored as sites where they created and sustained their own civic identities inside and outside of school.